Palace to VP Sara: Return to PH, prove regularity of confi fund use

Vice President Sara Duterte. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday urged Vice President Sara Duterte to return to the Philippines to resume serving Filipinos and prove regularity on the use of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro advised Duterte to return home and shed light on how the OVP spent these funds.

“Kung ito man po ay nadiskubre po, siguro po mas paigtingin pa po talaga ang pag-iimbestiga patungkol po dito. Bakit po? Kasi karapatan po ng taumbayan malaman kung saan po talaga ginagasta ang pera ‘no, ang pondo ng bayan, ang kaban ng bayan kung saan po nadadala (If this is discovered, maybe the investigation regarding this should be intensified even more. Why? Because the people have the right to know where the money is really being spent, the public funds, the public treasury where it is being taken),” Castro said.

“Kung ito man po ay nadiskubre po, dapat po rin patunayan kasi as of the moment, sasabihin pa rin po natin may presumption of regularity patungkol diyan. Pero, since naku-question nga po ito ay dapat lamang pong patunayan ni VP Sara kung ang mga resibong ito ay totoo o hindi (If this is discovered, it must also be proven because as of the moment, we will still say that there is a presumption of regularity regarding that. But, since this has been questioned, VP Sara need to prove whether these receipts are true or not),” she added.

Duterte flew to the Netherlands to make a second visit to her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, at the detention facility of the International Criminal Court.

While Duterte’s concern for her father is understandable, Castro said she has to fulfill her mandate as the country’s second highest official.

“Tingin ko dapat po isipin po niya na kailangan din po siya ng Pilipinas bilang Bise Presidente. Siya po dapat ay nagtatrabaho hindi lang para sa kaniyang ama although acceptable po at maiintindihan po natin sa ngayon ang kaniyang nararamdaman (I think she should consider that the Philippines also needs her as Vice President. She should be working not only for her father, although that is acceptable and we can understand her feelings at the moment),” she said.

“Pero tandaan din po niya, sinasabi niya po milyon na Pilipino ang bumoto sa kaniya at kailangan din po niyang pagsilbihan ito (But she should also remember, she says that millions of Filipinos voted for her and she also needs to serve them.”

More dubious names have been found in the acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP to the Commission on Audit to justify its spending of PHP500 million in confidential and intelligence funds from December 2022 to September 2023.

The list of questionable names includes “Jay Kamote” (Jay Sweet Potato) and “Miggy Mango” whose surnames appear to be derived from foods, House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V revealed on Sunday.

Five other recipients are named “Dodongs,” including Dodong Alcala, Dodong Bina, Dodong Bunal, Dodong Darong, and Dodong S. Barok.

Kamote, Mango, and the five Dodongs have no birth, marital or death records with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Earlier, Ortega also bared names similar to chip brands and cellphones linked to “Mary Grace Piattos,” one of the recipients of OVP’s confidential funds but has no PSA records.